Rating: 
Summary: Paint your TV and watch it dry instead-it's more interesting
Review: Okay, repressed guy who missed out on dreams retires into boredom. Wife dies, so guy wants to find meaning of life. May have found it.Took me 20 seconds to summarize the whole plot. Took the movie two hours to do it. Nicely nuanced performance by Nicholson, which is the only reason to even consider this movie. Beyond that, though, this thing is dull, dull, dull. Don't bother unless 1) you're an insatiable wonk about acting techinique, or 2) you're into examining your own navel for any reason other than the discovery of lint. -gvi
Rating: 
Summary: Depends on what you were expecting
Review: A sad story, about the people in your life and the choices you make. Jack Nicholson, retires as an insurance executive with the imminent marriage of his only daughter pending. He is a quiet man, that often does not get an opportunity to speak what is on his mind. One day while he is watching TV he sees an advertisement for an opportunity to sponsor a child. He does this quietly, so his wife does not see what he is doing. The story's narrative is made up of his letters to this child. Here he speaks his true mind. By voicing his opinion he gains strength and begins to voice opinions to those around him. But, is it too late? There are three things in the last paragraphs that did not ring true when I watched this movie.
1. After a certain age a person's personality begins to show on their face. Jack Nicholson's face is not that of a quiet, unassuming man. His countenance was at odds with his acting. To me this was not good casting. Except of course many people will see this movie since Jack Nicholson is in it. He does a good job acting, he always does, but his face is not quite right for this character.
2. In the movie Jack Nicholson's character is painted as cheap. He was very tight with his money. Sponsoring a child appears to be no more than an excuse for the narrative. His letters are also out of line, with what you would send a 6 year old child.
3. How could an insurance company vice president be such a mouse? I would imagine some level of grit gets a person to that position. The story continues so you finally see the boyfriend of his daughter when they come to visit. While not being so bright and portraying this in the surfer dude attitude, the man is genuine enough it is evident he cares for the daughter. I see that the son-in-law to be is not what Jack Nicholson's character wants, but you can see the daughter is quite fond of him. The movie in some ways is too fast and alternately too slow. You see Jack Nicholson's characters ackwardness with people and you see how his daughter gets her way. She becomes high pitched whiney at the drop of a hat. Excellent acting. I can't go in to much of the story without revealing important parts, but, it just was so much putting one foot in front of the other. In a nutshell, this movie is about a socially inept older man, who is unhappy with his choices in life. Once he retires and feels is life work was for naught, he becomes unsure of his place in the world. He suddenly wants to be sure his daughter does not make this same mistake. The irony of it is, had she followed his wishes she had a better chance of repeating his mistake. I found this movie very sad in parts and very uncomfortable in others. It is not a light movie to watch and some of the points in it are hard to pull to the surface. Better casting and fuller characters would have made it so much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Why people who hate this film are IDIOTS.
Review: There are two major complaints I have heard about this film. Number 1.- It¡¯s not a comedy because it's long and depressing. Number 2.- It takes a condescending attitude toward the Midwest and everyday Americans.
The first complaint is ridiculous and hardly deserves a reply. All this gripe does is depress me because it serves as a reminder of how people want safe genre pictures that refuse to challenge anything. This film is a comedy- one often depressing comedy. It mixes drama, satire, character study, and humor. If somebody wants safe slapstick, go see ¡°Bruce Almighty¡±and watch Jim Carey pretend he is god and talk out his ass. As for the complaint about the length, go watch television. If you EVER complain about length, you should not refer to yourself as a film buff.
The second complaint perplexes me even more. Alexander Payne is a masterful American filmmaker who does not shy away from showing the realistic minutia of modern life. He is a native of the Midwest. Like any good regional artist, he shows a healthy sense of humor toward his home. On top of this satire, he shows a respect and love for his characters rarely found in other films. There is no question that, as a storyteller, Payne loves Schmidt and even gives him a quiet dignity. Payne is a satirist, but a satirist with a heart.
In short, ¡°About Schmidt¡± serves as a reminder that Payne is one of the most underrated filmmakers in America. It really does not get much better than this film.
Also, Nicholson is amazing. But I think everybody agrees on that point.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic movie, nicholson should get an oscar again.
Review: this is a great movie that have made me feel so sad about myself. all the situations that schmidt encountered have happened exactly to me one after another. by watching this movie, it only puts me in a more hopeless and helpless condition, and makes me feel so depressed and frustrated about life. there is no answer to the ending. schmidt still has to face his miserable life daily. this movie did not make me cry but only make me sadder. i might get some catharsis out of this movie, but life itself i've got to face is still nontheless hopeless and sucks big time. don't know why nicholson didn't get another best actor oscar, his performance is far superior to the guy whose achievment only came from a great diretor.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Character Study, but Not For Everyone
Review: Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) has recently retired from a lifelong career in the insurance business, and he's feeling at loose ends, half bored and half angry that he hadn't gotten what he wanted out of life and now the next generation has displaced him. Then his wife (June Squibb) of 42 years dies suddenly, and, without the routine that she provided, even his leisurely retirement life falls apart. Warren decides to take off on a road trip in the mobile home he and his wife had purchased, intending to surprise his daughter, Jeannie, by arriving weeks early for her impending wedding. But he and Jeannie (Hope Davis) are not on the best of terms, and when she makes it clear his early arrival would be unwelcome, Warren takes the long route instead, driving from state to state in search of very little but the opportunity to kill time and do something different. Through Warren's minor adventures and encounters with people along the way, we come to understand this abrasive curmudgeon as he comes to see his own life in a different light. Wandering about the countryside, far from anything familiar, Warren realizes how little he participated in his own life and how little attention he paid to the things and people around him. Finally, Warren must face his new in-laws and his daughter's wedding to a man he doesn't like. In spite of his renewed interest in everyday life, he comes to the realization that he really can't change anything. Based on the novel by Louis Begly and adapted for the screen by writer/director Alexander Payne, "About Schmidt" is an excellent character study of a typical -I've met a few of them, anyway- older middle-class man who must find some reason to do something now that he has no job and no wife, which forces him to examine what he has been doing all his life. Warren Schmidt is Jack Nicholson's best performance in years. Nicholson is really acting here and lapses into his usual schtick only a couple of times. But Hope Davis gives a truly remarkable performance. We see relatively little of her, but Davis is able to communicate how much like her father Jeannie is, as well as how she feels about her fiance and about herself without speaking directly to those subjects. Her words convey how she feels about her father, but somehow she conveys how she feels about everything else entirely between the lines. Kathy Bates also does a fine job as Roberta, Jeannie's future mother-in-law. The choice to have Warren reveal himself partly through voice-over narration and through other characters articulating his problems could be construed as lazy, but I think it really worked here and is woven seamlessly into the narrative. I highly recommend "About Schmidt" because a film of this type simply could not have been done better. But character studies are relatively uneventful, and this one is a little long. So if you don't like character studies, it's unlikely that you would like this film.
Rating:
Summary: Character Study Excellently Acted by Jack Nicholson
Review: This movie is about what can happen when mandatory (in some companies) retirement age rolls around. The movie in the beginning is as slow as Warren Schmidt's life. The beginning deliberately drags to make the point that Warren's life, which was once well-ordered and focused around work, suddenly has no meaning. For a short period of time, it seems that Warren's life will soon be filled with travel about The United States with his wife. Then comes one of those life-altering events (as though retirement wasn't enough) that suddenly crumples your world. During this portion of the movie Warren sponsors an African boy by the name of Ndugu. Through Warren's letters to Ndugu we learn what Warren is thinking, a rather clever way of letting Warren extensively espouse his feelings without hearing his thoughts directly. The only difficulty I had with the lengthy and complex monologues was that Warren had to be smart enough to realize that Ndugu would not have the slightest idea what Warren was ranting on about; a minor point and one that needs to be overlooked to stay up with the movie. At this point in the movie, Warren no longer has an anchor to reality, and perhaps sanity. The house becomes a total disaster. Warren has no routine. To grab onto any lifeline, Warren decides that he needs to go visit his daughter. However, his daughter is not interested in having him come that early for the wedding. Warren, already halfway to his daughter's house, decides to stay on the road, visiting old haunts. There are some poignant and funny points in this portion of the movie, along with the realization that, as we've all known, you can never go home. Eventually Warren ends up at the house of the mother of his daughter's fiance, Roberta Hertzel, well-played by Kathy Bates. It's as though Warren has stepped into some version of hell that he only suspected existed. Roberta's front yard is filled with junk. Sirens sound at all times of the day and night. Warren has to sleep on a completely unbaffled waterbed, and gets a major crick in his neck, which his daughter then believes was planned to ruin her wedding. Of course, we have discovered during Warren's road trip that Warren wants to stop the wedding. The contrast between Roberta Hertzel and her family and Warren's life is a huge contrast that provides several funny moments and a severe reality check for Warren. Because the best part of the movie is the end, for which you've had to patiently wait for about and hour and forty-five minutes, I'm going to stop providing details at this point. What I can tell you is that the entire movie hinges on the last few minutes of the movie, when meaning is restored to Warren's life through the tiniest of acts. Character studies about ordinary people often are boring to those who have difficulty placing themselves into the character's position. This movie will likely appeal to guys in their 40s and older who consider their work their main focus of life. Further, those who have a great deal of empathy will readily understand Warren's position. Warren goes through more travails in a few short weeks than most people will see in any five years of their life, probably more than in any ten years. Those travails strip away the facade that Warren has built about himself through his life, and we ultimately see Warren's core; it's not a pretty sight. However, Warren can be redeemed, though you have to journey the entire length of the movie to see whether his redemption is at hand. This movie and 'As Good as It Gets' prove that Jack Nicholson is an incredible actor, one of the greatest of our time.
Rating: 
Summary: It's all about Jack
Review: Jack Nicholson turns in one of his most memorable performances as Warren Schmidt, a retired 66 yr old who's wife just died and is furious that his daughter is about to marry a loser who sells waterbeds. This is a Jack we have never seen. Warren Scmidt is one of the most lovable losers we have ever seen and a role Jack Nicholson plays to perfection. Gone are all the "jackisms" and what we get is a truly heartfelt portrayel. Jack is not the only good thing in the film, Kathy Bates is a riot and basically steals every scene she is in. Other performers in the film, are good such as Hope Davies and Dermot Mulroney but its Jack and Kathy who are the reason to see this film, and it's such a shame that Kathy Bates doesnt come into the film until the last 45 minutes. While a bit slow moving in the beginning the movie really starts to pick up when Warren heads out on his road trip. A remarkably written and acted film that proves why Jack Nicholson is one of the best actors in film.
Rating:
Summary: Call The Cops Because Jack Was Robbed!!
Review: I recently watched the films "About Schmidt" and "The Pianist" back-to-back, and what I found was that the Oscar went to the wrong guy!! Sure Brody was magnificent in "The Pianist," but if someone ever wanted to learn how to act, and act well I might add, they need look no further than Jack Nicholson's magnificent portrayal of Warren R. Schmidt. From beginning to tear-jerking finale(yes, I did indeed cry at the conclusion of this film), Jack shows why he is not only the greatest living actor in the world, but arguably one of the finest actors of all time. He hides pain, sadness, anger and confusion in the character of Warren so well, that I almost felt as if this were a documentary about an actual person. I have not seen such magnificent character acting since Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lester Burnham in "American Beauty." I was so moved by Jack's performance and his ability to steal the spotlight of every scene that he is in. Alex Payne, much like he did in the absolutely hysterical "Election," has brought a blistering sense of dark humor to the film, so much so that I had to pause the film several times because I was laughing so hard. Take for instance the letters between Warren and Ndugu, the 6 year old boy from Africa that Warren has 'adopted' for $22.00 a month. Warren writes down his inner most feelings in these letters - from his disappointing marriage, to the guy who replaced him at work to his thoughts about life and death. Of course a 6 year old would have no idea what he was talking about, but the manner in which Warren communicates is quite comical. These letters are also the cause for the heart-warming and teary-eyed finale. Overall, I found this character to be more realistic and easier to realte to than Adrien Brody in "The Pianist." Not to take away from Mr. Brody, he was a marvel in that film - but it's because of actors like Jack Nicholson who paved the way for him. Jack is by no means ready to retire from Hollywood. He has put forth one of his finest roles in quite some time, and just like Warren R. Schmidt, the future is bright for Jack.
Rating:
Summary: Call The Cops Because Jack Was Robbed!!
Review: I recently watched the films "About Schmidt" and "The Pianist" back-to-back, and ... Jack Nicholson's magnificent portrayal of Warren R. Schmidt. From beginning to tear-jerking finale(yes, I did indeed cry at the conclusion of this film), Jack shows why he is not only the greatest living actor in the world, but arguably one of the finest actors of all time. He hides pain, sadness, anger and confusion in the character of Warren so well, that I almost felt as if this were a documentary about an actual person. I have not seen such magnificent character acting since Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lester Burnham in "American Beauty." I was so moved by Jack's performance and his ability to steal the spotlight of every scene that he is in. Alex Payne, much like he did in the absolutely hysterical "Election," has brought a blistering sense of dark humor to the film, so much so that I had to pause the film several times because I was laughing so hard. Take for instance the letters between Warren and Ndugu, the 6 year old boy from Africa that Warren has 'adopted' for $22.00 a month. Warren writes down his inner most feelings in these letters - from his disappointing marriage, to the guy who replaced him at work to his thoughts about life and death. Of course a 6 year old would have no idea what he was talking about, but the manner in which Warren communicates is quite comical. These letters are also the cause for the heart-warming and teary-eyed finale. Overall, I found this character to be more realistic and easier to realte to than Adrien Brody in "The Pianist." Not to take away from Mr. Brody, he was a marvel in that film - but it's because of actors like Jack Nicholson who paved the way for him. Jack is by no means ready to retire from Hollywood. He has put forth one of his finest roles in quite some time, and just like Warren R. Schmidt, the future is bright for Jack.
Rating:
Summary: retired actuary travels a bit. but not far.
Review: Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt -- a recently retired, recently widowed, soon-to-be father-of-the-bride who has spent his life detached from his family and is now loaded down with material and emotional baggage as he embarks on a quest to stop his daughter's impending marriage. I thought there were some very nice moments in the film, particularly Warren's heartfelt letters to his Tanzanian foster child Ndugu, and Nicholson is always fun to watch, but ultimately the film didn't say much and none of the characters changed much either. The sets and camera work are great, but depictions of Midwesterners as gauche dullards were harsh, if not cruel, and the film only picked up when the great cast rose above the mediocre script. Subtitles are available in English or Spanish. Extras include: trailers for About Schmidt, I Am Sam, and Unconditional Love; a series of five short films showing Omaha and its Woodmen tower; and nine deleted scenes (totalling approximately 30 minutes), including one in which Warren is caught shoplifting and another that references Five Easy Pieces. This is an okay film with a terrific cast and fine sets but a film without much to say.
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